The 2011 Stanley Cup Finals - Part 1
The Vancouver Canucks established themselves as the only dominant team in the NHL this season. Pick out the other contending teams (Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Jose, Boston) and each had a discernible flaw that restricted their ability to make the substantial leap from good to great. Over the eighty-two game regular season the Canucks consistently outclassed their opponents in all facets of the game; they led the league in goals for (258) and goals against (180) and maintained a steady business like efficiency even when they experienced injuries to key players. They easily finished with the league’s best record and were awarded the President’s Trophy for the first time in franchise history. However, regular season success would not appease Canucks Nation; they would be only satisfied with postseason triumphs and a parade down Robson Street.
The Canucks enter the Stanley Cup Finals as the clear favorite. The Bruins are a big tough team and Tim Thomas was arguably the league’s best goaltender this season, but they cannot match the Canucks offensive or defensive depth. Boston’s anemic power play (5/67, 7.5% in 19 games played,) has been at the center of many jokes this postseason. If the Bruins are unable to generate goals with the man advantage they will struggle to compete in the series. On the other side of the ice, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and his partner Dennis Seidenberg will likely spend most of their ice time matched up against the offensively lethal Sedin twins and will try to replicate what Predators defencemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter did so well against the twins in the second round, limiting them to just 7 points combined in six games.
The task is nearly complete; the Vancouver Canucks are now just three wins (following last night’s 1-0 home win,) away from hoisting hockey’s Holy Grail and just as they have all season, the Canucks will not stop working until they are left as the last team standing.
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